Hydrological Modeling of the Tampaon River in the Context of Climate Change

This work compares the hydrological modeling of the Tampaon River Basin (in east-central Mexico) with two hydrological models (SWAT and GR4J) and then evaluates the impact of climate change on the water balance of the basin. The calibration and validation of the models (over 14-year periods) show that both performed satisfactorily when simulating daily flows. The results indicate that SWAT more precisely reproduces observed mean monthly streamflow while GR4J overestimates it during the dry season and underestimates it during the rainy season. The analysis of the impact of climate change was performed by using climate ensemble simulations derived from the Canadian Global Climate Model (CGCM3) downscaled by the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM). The climate simulations (after bias correction) were used as input data for both hydrological models for two periods: a reference period (1971 – 2000) and a future period (2041-2070). The results indicate a significant decrease in mean monthly streamflow in the Tampaon River Basin for the future period (-36 to -55%), as well as a decrease in maximum monthly streamflow (-34 to -60%) and minimum monthly streamflow (-36 to -49%). The results from this study provide an overall perspective of the potential impact of climate change on the hydrological response of the Tampaon River Basin

Andes Basin Focal Project

The CPWF Basin Focal Project for the Andes system of basins worked with a range of local stakeholders to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms for improving the productivity of water in the Andes. We considered productivity in broad terms as the productivity of energy (HEP), food and fiber (agriculture) and livelihoods (industry, transport and benefit sharing such as Payments for Environmental Services schemes (PES)). In addition to the compiled data bases and analyses on poverty and institutions, one of the key deliverables of the project was the development and deployment of the AguAAndes policy support system (PSS). This integrates analyses of water availability and productivity within the local environmental and policy context. It is a web-based policy support system combining an extensive spatial database with process-based models for hydrology, crop production and socio-economic processes. It is intended to allow analysts and decision makers to test the potential onsite and offsite impacts of land and water management decisions in terms of their ability to sustain environmental services and human wellbeing. Interventions and recommendations for future actions on water and food in the region are presented

Impact of land use on the hydraulic properties of the topsoil in a small French catchment

The hydraulic properties of the topsoil control the partition of rainfall into infiltration and runoff at the soil surface. They must be characterized for distributed hydrological modelling. This study presents the results of a field campaign documenting topsoil hydraulic properties in a small French suburban catchment (7 km2) located near Lyon, France. Two types of infiltration tests were performed: single ring infiltration tests under positive head and tension disk infiltration using a mini-disk. Both categories were processed using the BEST Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters- method to derive parameters describing the retention and hydraulic conductivity curves. Dry bulk density and particle size data were also sampled. Almost all the topsoils were found to belong to the sandy loam soil class. No significant differences in hydraulic properties were found in terms of pedologic units, but the results showed a high impact of land use on these properties. The lowest dry bulk density values were obtained in forested soils with the highest organic matter content. Permanent pasture soils showed intermediate values, whereas the highest values were encountered in cultivated lands. For saturated hydraulic conductivity, the highest values were found in broad leaved forests and small woods. The complementary use of tension disk and positive head infiltration tests highlighted a sharp increase of hydraulic conductivity between near saturation and saturated conditions, attributed to macroporosity effect. The ratio of median saturated hydraulic conductivity to median hydraulic conductivity at a pressure of -20 mm of water, was about 50. The study suggests that soil texture, such as used in most pedo-transfer functions, might not be sufficient to properly map the variability of soil hydraulic properties. Land use information should be considered in the parameterizations of topsoil within hydrological models to better represent in situ conditions, as illustrated in the paper

Third international conference on irrigation and drainage

Presented during the Third international conference on irrigation and drainage held March 30 - April 2, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme of the conference was Water district management and governance.Includes bibliographical references.Sponsored by USCID; co-sponsored by Association of California Water Agencies and International Network for Participatory Irrigation Management.The changing face of western irrigated agriculture: structure, water management, and policy implications -- Proven institutional, financing and pricing principles for rural water services -- Involving stakeholders in irrigation and drainage district decisions: who, what, when, where, why, how -- Implementing district level irrigation water management with stakeholder participation -- WUA development and strengthening in the Kyrgyz Republic -- Variations in irrigation district voting and election procedures -- Water Users Association governance in developing countries: fragility and function -- Viet Nam: creating conditions for improved irrigation service delivery -- the case of the Phuoc Hoa Water Resources Project -- Technical and institutional support for water management in Albanian irrigation -- Reconciling traditional irrigation management with development of modern irrigation systems: the challenge for Afghanistan -- Field testing of SacMan Automated Canal Control System -- An infrastructure management system for enhanced irrigation district planning -- NCWCD efforts toward improving on-farm water management -- A web-based irrigation water use tracking system -- Using GIS to monitor water use compliance -- Development of a water management system to improve management and scheduling of water orders in Imperial Irrigation District -- Radar water-level measurement for open channels -- Non-standard structure flow measurement evaluation using the flow rate indexing procedure - QIP -- A GIS-based irrigation evaluation strategy for a rice production region -- Total Channel Control™ - an important role in identifying losses -- Commencing the modernization project of the Gila Gravity Main Canal -- Obtaining gains in efficiency when water is free -- A qualitative approach to study water markets in Pakistan -- Local groundwater management districts and Kansas state agencies share authority and responsibility for transition to long term management of the High Plains Aquifer -- Water user management and financing of irrigation facilities through use of improvement districts -- Irrigation management transfer to water user organizations in Turkey -- Farm size, irrigation practices, and on-farm irrigation efficiency in New Mexico's Elephant Butte Irrigation District -- The ITRC Rapid Appraisal Process (RAP) for irrigation districts -- Relationships between seepage loss rates and canal condition parameters for the Rapid Assessment Tool (RAT) -- Zarafshan Water District Improvement Project in Uzbekistan -- Technological modernization in irrigated agriculture: factors for sustainability in developing countries -- Reliability criteria for re-engineering of large-scale pressurized irrigation systems -- Upgrading existing databases: recommendations for irrigation districts -- Groundwater use in irrigated agriculture in Amudarya River basin in socio-economic dimensions -- Regional ET estimation from satellites

Developing an Automatic Model for Reconstructing Daily Flow in Ungauged Basins

RÉSUMÉ Les séries des écoulements ne sont pas mesurées directement. Leur estimation peut parfois s’accompagner d’erreurs considérables. Comme ces valeurs sont importantes dans la planification de la production hydroélectrique, il s’avère donc important de reconstruire ces séries d’écoulement avec suffisamment de précision. Différentes méthodes de reconstruction des écoulements ont été développées au cours de dernières années, et plusieurs facteurs importants doivent être analysés lors du choix de la méthode la plus appropriée. Dans cette thèse, un algorithme est proposé pour déterminer la méthode la plus appropriée dans la détermination de la série fiable des valeurs d’écoulement pour chaque étude de cas analysée. Cet algorithme permet de choisir les méthodes de calcul des séries d’écoulement à la fois pour la période de temps avant la construction du réservoir que pour la période post-réservoir, selon la disponibilité de données dans les bassins environnants.----------ABSTRACT Since flow values for basins are indirectly measured and the estimations of these values may be at times accompanied by a considerable amount of uncertainty, it is desirable to reconstruct a reliable set of flow series as these values are important for water resource management and flow prediction. Different methods of flow reconstruction have been developed during recent years. As the quality of available flow data are not the same for different time periods, different flow reconstruction methods should be selected for each different time period. In this thesis, an algorithm will be proposed in order to determine the most appropriate family of flow reconstruction method for each case study scenario. This algorithm will help to choose the best method to reconstruct flow values for both for Pre-Reservoir Construction Period (Pre-R) and Post-Reservoir Construction period (Post-R), depending on the availability of data and other factors

Modelación hidrológica de una cuenca en los Andes del sur del Ecuador utilizando datos estimados por sensores remotos

El objetivo de esta investigación fue modelar los escurrimientos diarios en una cuenca hidrográfica utilizando datos de sensores remotos (SR) en el modelo CEQUEAU a 0.05°/~5 km, 0.125°/~13.5 km y 0.25°/~27.5 km de resolución espacial. El área de estudio comprende la cuenca del río Catamayo, ubicada en el sur del Ecuador (4.094°S / 79.569°W). La parte alta de la cuenca se caracteriza por recibir aportes frecuentes de lluvia, influenciada por los vientos alisios, humedad de la cuenca amazónica y orografía irregular de la cordillera de los Andes. Mientras que en la parte baja, las lluvias son estacionales entre diciembre y mayo, y es afectada por eventos climáticos como El Niño y La Niña. Los datos de lluvia se obtuvieron de los productos de precipitación estimados por satélite (PPES): CMORPH, PERSIANN-CDR y TRMM-3B42 por un lado, y radar meteorológico (LAWR) y pluviómetros por otro lado. La variable temperatura fue tomada del proyecto ERA-Interim y temperatura observada de estaciones meteorológicas. El producto ERA-Interim se utilizó con los PPES y la temperatura observada con los pluviómetros y la combinación [LAWR + pluviómetros]. Los SR se validaron con los datos observados, y posteriormente se realizaron correcciones de sesgo (BIAS). El modelo CEQUEAU se implementó en tres estaciones hidrométricas del río Catamayo, la calibración se realizó primero por prueba y error, y luego por optimización. Las funciones objetivo: NSE, PBIAS y r2 se utilizaron como criterios de evaluación de los modelos. Los resultados de las modelaciones en los periodos de calibración y validación fueron satisfactorios en dos de las tres subcuencas del río Catamayo, usando PPES/ERA-Interim, [LAWR + pluviómetros] y pluviómetros. En conclusión, CMORPH, PERSIANN-CDR y TRMM-3B42 se pueden implementar en modelos hidrológicos sobre cuencas andinas con similares condiciones climáticas de la cuenca Catamayo. Además, estos productos pueden ser útiles en lugares con baja densidad de estaciones meteorológicas y de ayuda en los sistemas de alerta temprana cuando los tiempos de concentración de las cuencas son alrededor de un día.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM) Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT

River basin trajectories: societies, environments and development

River basin management / River basin development / Hydrology / Water governance / Water use / History / Water allocation / Water transfer / Water quality / Irrigation management / Groundwater management / Surface irrigation / Water lifting / Pumping / Middle East / Jordan / South Africa / Mexico / Tunisia / Tanzania / Iran / India / China / USA / Australia / Lower Jordan River Basin / Olifants River Basin / Lerma-Chapala River Basin / Mediterranean River Basin / Great Ruaha River / Zayandeh Rud River Basin / Krishna River Basin / Bhavani River Basin / Yellow River Basin / Colorado River Basin / Murray Darling River Basin / Merguellil Basin

Identifying the water poor: an indicator approach to assessing water poverty in rural Mexico

Water scarcity is the focus of considerable research emphasizing the vulnerability of communities to physical water supply. Recent approaches to the determination of water scarcity that incorporate social, economic and political factors with physical measures of water availability include the Water Poverty Index (WPI). Through a rigorous analysis that aims to analyze and contrast the results of the WPI with those determined through extensive fieldwork and community consultation, this research aims to fulfil the following core objectives: 1. to determine the impact of scale on water poverty assessments; 2. to test the robustness of the WPI and validate its accuracy as a measurement of water poverty; 3. to assess the ability of the WPI to accurately reflect local perceptions of water poverty. Mexico has an astounding array of water challenges where even areas with a natural abundance of water face difficulties in the provision of water supply. Particularly compelling is the region of Los Altos. Situated within Mexico's most water-rich state, access to water is exceptionally constrained. This contrast of scale was the incentive for selecting the rural communities of Pozuelos and El Mash to examine water poverty in detail. A careful examination of water poverty was first undertaken at the state level. Next, water poverty was assessed in the community through an extensive field study, comprising a thorough assessment of infrastructure, water quality analyses, researcher observations, informal interviews and participatory focus groups. These data provided the basis for calculating the WPI at the community scale. Analyses were then undertaken focusing on statistical correlations using Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient informed by researcher observations, regression analyses and community perceptions. As the only indicator to assess the multiple dimensions of water poverty, the WPI, by definition, is the best tool available. However, the issue of scale continues to be challenging whilst predictions of water poverty are complex and marred by subjectivity. A lack of consensus surrounding appropriate variables is problematic and inhibits comparisons across localities. Community perceptions of water poverty at the community level differ from results obtained using the WPI further questioning its reliability. Notwithstanding, the WPI highlights the need for a multi-dimensional approach to the determination of water poverty by demonstrating the lack of relationship between water resources availability and overall water poverty across scales. However, this research has demonstrated the complex nature of the WPI rendering its application in practice quite difficult